8th Sep 2018 East Fife 2 Partick Thistle 1 (Challenge Cup 2nd Round)

matches:2018-19: ← 11game 1213 →

Match Information

			Darren Young		Alan Archibald			41y, 1m, 26d
					Jamie Sneddon; Tam Scobbie; Aidan Fitzpatrick; Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo; Jack Storer
					Cammy Bell; Sean McGinty; Blair Spittal; Chris Erskine; Miles Storey
Scott Agnew (1-1, 51 mins); Rory Currie (1-2, 74 mins)					Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo (1-0, 22 mins)
Anton Dowds (1-1, 51 mins); Kevin Smith (1-2, 74 mins)					Kris Doolan (1-0, 22 mins)
Jonny Court (Kevin Smith, 71 mins); Aaron Dunsmore (Rory Currie, 71 mins); Liam Watt (Mark Docherty, 90+1 mins)					Jack Storer (Blair Spittal, 61 mins); Aidan Fitzpatrick (Chris Erskine, 69 mins)
			Brett Long		Jamie Sneddon			21y, 0m, 2d
			Aaron Dunsmore		Christie Elliott			27y, 3m, 13d
			Chris Kane		James Penrice			19y, 8m, 17d
			Craig Watson		Niall Keown			23y, 5m, 3d
			Patrick Slattery		Tam Scobbie			30y, 5m, 8d
			Jonny Court		Brice Ntambwe			25y, 4m, 10d
			Scott Agnew		Craig Slater			24y, 4m, 13d
			Liam Watt		Aidan Fitzpatrick			17y, 5m, 19d
			future Jag Anton Dowds		Kris Doolan			31y, 8m, 28d
			Ross Davidson		Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo			28y, 3m, 2d
			Daryll Meggatt		Jack Storer			20y, 8m, 6d
								24y, 6m, 9d
			Craig McDowall		Cammy Bell			31y, 11m, 21d
			Mark Docherty		Sean McGinty			25y, 0m, 28d
			Craig Thomson		Blair Spittal			22y, 8m, 20d
			Kevin Smith		Chris Erskine			31y, 7m, 0d
			Rory Currie		Callum Wilson			19y, 2m, 16d
			Kyle Bell

notes

Thistle generally in playing order, opposition in squad number order. Thistle filled only 5 of their 7 allocated bench slots, whilst East Fife filled only 6 of theirs.

Match Report

TTA report

Doolan's flick set Mutombo in on goal (22) to score with Thistle's only shot on target. An even poorer second half performance saw East Fife (bottom of Div 1) much the better team and a loose ball was hammered home (51) then a shot from 18 yards (74) made their day. Thistle booed off/East Fife cheered off.

Media report

Iain Collin, 08-Sep-2018, Herald Scotland

Alan Archibald's men booed off after dispiriting defeat

Last weekend, Partick Thistle’s complaints centred on officialdom but this week they had no-one to blame but themselves as they fell flat in a dispiriting defeat to East Fife in the Irn-Bru Cup. Kris Doolan’s ‘ghost goal’ in the victory over Morton grabbed the attention last time out but this time the unwanted limelight was directed at manager Alan Archibald, as the Jags threw away a half-time lead to exit the tournament amidst a cacophony of boos. They were fully in control following the opener from Andrea Mbuyi-Mutombo midway through the first-half, but the game was turned on its head after the break. Scott Agnew’s equaliser sent belief coursing through the home team, who won it with a wonderful strike from on-loan Hearts striker Roy Currie 16 minutes from time.

Doolan, robbed of his first goal of the season by a bizarre refereeing decision last weekend, created the breakthrough for Thistle when his cute flick on from Tam Scobbie’s long ball allowed Mutombo to scamper in on goal and finish with the aid of a deflection past Brett Long. However, Agnew curled in the leveller in the 51st minute after a lay-off inside the box from Anton Dowds and, with Thistle unable to respond, Currie drilled a magnificent winner in from the edge of the box after being fed by fellow substitute Kevin Smith.

Reaction

Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald (speaking to The Herald):

I thought when we lifted the tempo in the first-half they struggled to cope with us at times, but only when we lifted the tempo. In the second-half, we asked the players to keep it tight at the back and lift the tempo - and they did the complete opposite. We invited pressure on ourselves and East Fife deservedly got their win. We got into the habit of moving the ball slower and slower, and we were a wee bit negative in our play. We should have had a better reaction when they equalised, and we didn’t get that. The fans have paid their money and they want to win every game, like us. We want to try to win a tournament and we’re absolutely disappointed with that. I’ll take some of the blame; we made a number of changes and it didn’t quite work. Especially in the second-half, we looked as if there was no fluency.

East Fife manager Darren Young (speaking to The Herald):

I know from when I was a player, when you play against the bigger and better teams there’s always that wee bit of added extra, and Rory fired in a great strike to win the game for us.

Scrapbook

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Sun on Sunday, 9th September, 2018

Sunday Post, 9th September, 2018

The Sun, 10th September, 2018

Gallery

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Video Highlights

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Stats Watch

A NEW LOW FOR ALAN ARCHIBALD'S THISTLE

● After just 11 competitive games, Thistle have now failed to fill SIXTEEN allocated bench slots in 2018-19, a negligent 2 season trait unique to the Alan Archibald era, and one which is now becoming a running joke amongst supporters.

● 30-year-old Tam Scobbie makes his Thistle debut.

● Sean McGinty's relegation to the bench leaves James Penrice as the last man standing with 100% competitive game time in 2018-19.

● Andréa M'Buyi-Mutombo scores his last goal for Thistle.

● Losing to the team currently 32nd in the SPFL is a new low for Alan Archibald's Thistle in competitive action.

ongoing sequences:

● 11 second tier home games without defeat, 19th Jan 2013 to date. (Longest run since: 12 games; 22nd Sep 2007 to 1st Apr 2008. Club-record: 25 games; 22nd Aug 1896 to 21st Dec 1901.)

● 12 competitive appearances without a goal for Kris Doolan, 20th May 2018 to date. (Longest run since: 12 games; 23rd Jul 2016 to 22nd Oct 2016. Longest run: 14 games; 26th Dec 2013 to 26th Mar 2014.)

● 15 competitive games without a draw, 8th May 2018 to date. (Longest run since: 20 games; 24th Apr 2010 to 6th Nov 2010. Club-record: 27 games; 18th Feb 1899 to 23rd Dec 1899.)

● 21 consecutive competitive appearances for Blair Spittal, 31st Mar 2018 to date. (Longest run since: Ryan Edwards - 35 games; 8th Aug 2017 to 3rd Apr 2018. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games; 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

● 53 games since back-to-back League wins, 11th Mar 2017 to date. (Longest run since: 71 games; 16th Apr 2013 to 14th Mar 2015. Club-record: 77 games; 2nd Nov 1912 to 5th Dec 1914.)

Stats Watch adheres to our stated definitions of League, League Max, Major Competitive, Competitive or All Games. Where there is no written qualification, you should presume that the Stat in question is compiled from the All Games criteria.

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